Internal-combustion engine.



Patented Sept. 11, 1917.

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mn-:RNAL comsusnow ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. '5| 1913.

["Y/T 1V E .SiS/f5 S. L. SCHLEPPY. INTERNAL comuslow vENGINE. APPLICATION FILED OCT. l5. |913- Patented Sept. 11, 1917.

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S. L. SCHL-EPPY. INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE APPLICATION FILED OCT. I5. I9I3.

Patented Sept. 11, 1917.

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wf/MW ow/ff SALEM LlEON SCHLEPPY, OF CHCAGO, ILLINOIS.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

rammed sept. ii, rei t.

Application led October 15, 1913. Serial No. 795,322.

f To all whom it may concern:

The fundamental objects of my invention i are: First, the elimination of all sliding,

rotary or puppet valves from the co nstr uc tion of the engine; second, the eliminatlon of timing-gears and valve-actuating shafts or linkages; third, the construction of the pistons and cylinders in such a manner that said pistons shall both eliminate the use et any valves and shall be adapted to themselves perform the functions of valves, by. means contained wholly within the bores of the clinders; fourth, the protection of such valve-acting pistons from the explosions of the engine charges and their automatic lubrication to prevent binding and insure free movement; Iifth, the special construction of the engine pistons in such manner` as to both. eliminate side-lash thereof and to give same a gyroscopicaction in operation, suchy as shall powerfully operate to keep the engine erect when running, adapting it particularly to stabilizing vessels hulls, automobiles, aeroplanes, and other locomotive vehicles when actuated thereby;

sixth, the construction of the engine in such manner as to enable the elimination of external-balancing devices such as iiy-wheels, thus'lightening the entire engine for given powers, and rendering it more eicient; seventh, the production of an engine which receives its nebulized explosive charge underpositive external pressure without the positive action of its piston in any manner; eighth, the construction of an engine which receives alternately upon either end of its piston an explosive impulse during every stroke in either direction; and ninth, to provide an engine construction whose essential parts are so accessible as to render practically convenient their maintenance and repair, and whose complete elimination ot complicated ordelicate subsidiary mechanisms, such as these customarily used to construct and operate valves, Will greatly add to both the durability and dependableness of the engine.

I accomplish the objects stated by means of the mechanism which l have illustrated in the accompanying drawings, hereby made a part hereof, in which* Figure l is a central longitudinal section through an engine of the four-cylinder type embodying my invention, showing its compressor and crank case mechanism in side elevation; Fig. 2 is a modiiied central vertical section through the second cylinder of said engine, taken on the line 2-2 Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, showing a portion of its crank-case mechanism, piston-rod and piston in elevation, with a part of the latter broken away to reveal the position of the port; F ig. 3 is ay front elevation of my engine, showing the manifold and compressor it sz'u with respect to the cylinders and'crank-case; F ig. 4c is an enlarged sectional` detail of one of the camrollers; Fig. 5 is a top view of my engine, taken partly with the cylinder heads removed from one end to show top plan oi two of the pistons ,in position and taken in sectional plan at the opposite end with the piston-rods in section and the pistons removed, from their bores to show spark plugs and piston-pawls in their positions at the bases of the cylinders; Figs. 6 to 9, are diagrammatic views, showing the successive operations of the pistons in their respective cylinders, and the relations of said pistons to each other at four points during one cycle; and F ig. 10 is an enlarged detail of one of the piston ratchets and a piston paWl, partly in section, showing the construction and indicating the operation of one of the piston-parvis with its piston-ratchet.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to Fig. l, my engine is constructed upon any ordinary crank-case, as l, which is bolted upon the customary base 2, havingin its bottom the usual oil well and trap 3. The crank-case is preferably provided with two anti-friction end bearings el, and an anti-friction median bearing 5, of any good roller-type, for respectively engaging the end journals 6, and median journal 7, of the crank-shaft 8, and is provided with the customary integral median cranks 9, and end-cranks 10, but preferably has the Outer sides of its end-cranks formed by the naeeyae steel gears 11, secured upon the end-journals of said crank-shaft.

All horizontal portions of the crankfshaft 8, are tubular, thus furnishing an nterrupted series of axially registering bores 12, to which oil is introduced under pressure through the oil tube 1'3, at the forward end thereof. The gears 1l, are provided with radial bores, as 14, leading from said bores l2 to the hollow crank-pins l5, and the cranks are provided with radial bores, as 16, giving at their outer ends into said hollow crank-pins 15, and near their inner ends, through longitudinal bores 17, into said interrupted bores 12 of the crank-shaft 8, thus effecting a complete feed of the oil through all portions of said crank-shaft and through the cranks and crank-pins thereof. Radial bores 18, in the bearings of the crank-shaft 8, give access of its contained oil under ressure to lubricate the crank-shaft bearings, and radial bores, as 19, in the crank-pins 11, give access of the oil through the bores 20 of the connecting rods 21, through the transversely bored crank-pins 22, and the axially-y bored rod-sockets 23, to and through the hol low piston-rods 24 to lubricate the pistons as hereinafter explained.

Said hollow piston-rods 24, pass through suitable packin glands, as 25, in the cylinder base 26, 'an bear secured in their u per ends the cone-heads 27 provided inferiorly with antifriction balls 28 turning in the thrust-caps 29, and with cones 30, having socketed superiorly therein the large pressure-balls 31 and turning with the latter within the thrust-caps 32; the said thrustcaps with their contained cone-heads and balls being secured to the pistons 33 by bolts 34 passing through their flanges and the diaphragms 35 of said istons, in such a manner as to form gas-tight ts with said diaphragms, and the gas-tight ts of said pistons ln-the cylinders 36, are effected by the usual split packing-rings as 37, at the tops and bottoms of same.

The cone-heads 27, are provided with vertical bores 38, passing upward to lubricate the cones 30 and pressure-balls 31, and with transversely intersecting horizontal bores 39, which register with and open into a series of radial bores, as 40, in said diaphragme 35, through which radial bores the oil is educted to lubricate the spiral cam channels 4l countersunk in the sides of said pistons 33.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 4, the essen tial feature of my invention is the continuous revolution of each of the pistons in a fixed direction, the direction of revolution of every piston being the reverse of that of the next contiguous piston in engines of multiple cylinder types. I use this revolun tion of my pistons to cause the same to perform the functions of uncovering 'and covering the ports of my cylinders, for which valves and valve-actuating mechanisms have hitherto been required and am thereby enabled to dispense with such valve constructions. The cone-heads 27 upon which my pistons 33 are revolubly secured being angularlyxed in position and having imparted thereto only a reciprocal motion, the continuous revolution of said pistons is caused by the engagement of said spiral cam channels 41 With the cam-rollers 42.

As fully detailed in Fig. 4, the cam-rollers 42 are mounted upon the balls 43 turning in the three-part ball circuit formed by the annular channel 44 in the inner face of said cam-rollers, the quadrant-circuit 45 turned on the inner side of the head of the bolt 46 and the quadrant-circuit 47 turned upon the outer end of the post 48. Said post 48' has rigidly mounted, in a driven fit in its longitudinal bore 49, said bolt 46, which is secured therein by the transverse locking-pin 50. The posts are mounted in the conical bases 51 which make ground gas-tight fits in the conical bosses 52 passing through the double cylinder walls 36. Said posts have threaded reductions at their outer ends turned down to form the screws 53, which threadedly engage with the diaphragms 54 of said bases 51 and are screwed home therein by actuation from the slots 55 formed in the heads of the bolt 46. Tannular base flanges 56 project out from said bases 51 to form the nut sockets 57 in which the lock` nuts 58 are screwed upon the said screws 53, and eXteriorly-threaded socket flanges 59, of less height than said base flanges 56 projects integrally outward from said socket bosses 52 and are engaged by internally threaded annular flanges 60 of the caps 61. Annular locking bosses 62 push home the roller bases 51 in their sockets as said caps 61 are screwed home, and simultaneously the nut locks 63 also formed internally on said caps 61 lock the lock nuts 58, thus constituting an absolute mutually-locked device of the group consisting of said base, socket boss, post, nut, nut lock, and cap, which conditlon I regard as of great importance, in assuring t e dependableness and security of my engine when used for locomotive duties. The inner end of the posts 48 is of such length as to leave a small clearance space as 64 between the outer side of the cam rollers 42 and said post and base, and the depth to which said cam-roller projects in the spiral cam channel 41 is just suicient to leave a similar space between vits inner face and the bottom 'of said channel, so that the roll acts'exclusively upon its tread, as a freely turning anti-friction member and is thus enabled to give a free rotation tothe pistons 33, as same are reciprocally actuated by the piston rods 24. I do not wish to restrict mysclf t0 the use of my said cam rasata m roller construction, however, but reserve the right of substituting therefor any xed or moving, revoluble or non-revoluble member which shall properly give the rotation to my pistons, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

The internal combustion system of my engine is operated by the following mechanism: the gear 11, through the idler 65 and pinion 66, actuates a suitable compressor of any good rotary type, as 67, which compresses the air taken through its inlets 68 and emits same through the valve 69 to the interior ofthe crank-case 1 as indicated by the arrows.l From the crank-case, the comressed air is admitted to the manifold 70, in which it mixeswith the nebulized fuel through the tube 71 and carbureter 72 to said manifold, from which said mixture is conducted by the intake pipes 73, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 5, and is admitted midway of the cylinder-length through the cylinder intake-ports 74 giving access through the walls of the cylinders 36. Said cylinder intakeports 74 are kept closed continuously by the smooth tight it thereover of the sides of the v vpistons 33 except at such points as the piston lco intake-ports'7 5 of the several cylinders are successively brought into registration with said cylinder intake-ports 74, by the continuous-spiral path described by said pistonports from the motion imparted thereto by the continuously-revolving, reciprocatory transits of the pistons 33, thus successively admitting the charges to the cylinders 36, to be tired by the upper spark-plugs 77 or lower spark-plugs78 upon each intake-registration, and emitting the exhaustgases from said cylinders 36 upon each registration of the piston exhaust-ports 76 with the cylinder exhaust-ports 79, connected in multiple to the exhaust-pipe 80, by which. said gases are withdrawn. Said cylinder eX- haust-ports 76 are positioned in the saine median plane as the cylinder intake-ports 74, but occupy in the walls of each cylinder, plan-positlons, which are the reverse of the plan-positions they occupy in the cylinder adjacent thereto, so as to correctly adapt the functions of said respective exhaustports and intake-ports to the necessary mode of operating applicants construction, in which each piston ofeach cylinder revolves in a direction reverse to the piston of the contiguous cylinder. y Y

Each cylinder has two explosions and two exhausts to every reciprocation of the piston therein, the operation of the parts being such that the compressed gas charge is eX- ploding at the point of nearest approach of each piston to either upper or lower cylinder head` at the same time that the explodedgases are exhausted upon the opposite side of said cylinder-head. l

Since the cylinder intake-ports 74 are median to the lengths of the cylinder bores, the continuous revolution in one direction of each of the pistons occasions in alternate succession the registration of the piston intakeport 75 with the cylinder intake-port 74 and of the piston` exhaust-port 76 with the cylinder exhaust-port 79. The revolution of each piston in a direction contrary to that of the adjacent piston has the effect that, when the intake-port 7 5 of any piston registers for chargey admission through the cylinder-port 74, the intake-port of the adjacent piston has passed such registration, is compressing the charge already received and approaches the registration of its plston exhaust-port 76, with the corresponding cylinder exhaust-port 79.

Referring to Figs. 1, 5, and 10, two of the piston ratchets 81 are made integrally upon the top and the bottom ends of each of the pistons 33 and of such contour that their curved ratchet faces 81a, shall be adapted to engage the rolls 82 pivoted on the roll pins 83 of the piston pawls 84. Said piston pawls are provided with cylindric inner ends 85 adapted to turn in cylindric sockets 86, formed in the cylinder heads, as 26, and are held up in firm engagement with said cylindric socket 86 by being sustained upon the curved fiat spring 86 secured bya screw as 87 to said cylinder heads. Uutward motion of the cylinder pawls is prevented by engagement of their shoulders 88 with stop 87, the outward position being thus limited to that indicated by the dotted lines on Fig. 10 and representing the position both before and after engagement with the piston ratchets 81 and the depressedv position prior to engagement being indicated by the -full lines in the same igure, the direction of the piston being always away from the cylindric socket 86 as indicated by the arrow. In the arrangement of my invention shown in the drawings the projection of the piston pawls from their sockets preferably is for a distance slightly in excess of one-eighth the length of the piston-stroke, with the result that said pawls are adapted-to engage the ratchets on the pistons at either top 'orfbottom of their strokes at every one-sixteenth of a revolution and so prevent any rotation of the pistons in the direction reverse to that desired for each cylinder. By doubling the number of my piston pawls and piston ratchets their height of projection over the sockets may be made only one-twentieth inch accordingly adapting thema` to engage at every one-thirty-second revolution; however I do not limit myself to this arrangement but reserve the right to substitute pawls operating through the sides of my cylinders and engaging to sides of my piston walls when preferred.

clear that elimination of valve mechanisms dit enables me to utilize th`e space heretofore unavoidably required for such mechanisms by the construction of a universal cooling system, which is more complete than has been possible in previous engines as one of the most important sources of efficiency in my invention. This cooling system is designed for use either with a gaseous cooling agent such as ammonia or a liquid cooling agent suoli as water said illustration of the parts is shown in the views. The base jacket -89 is formed throughout the cylinder base 26 and access of the cooling fluid thereto is made through the ingress pipe 90 thence circulates through said base jacket and then upwardly through the base passes, as 91, leading into the cylinder jackets as 92, surrounding each of the cylinders 36; and thence circulates through the crownpasses 93 into the head jackets 94, formed throughout the multiple cylinder head 95. From the'head jackets the cooling fluid circula-tes downward through the rear of the cylinder jackets 92 to the rear pass of the base passes 91 and is thence withdrawn by the educting pipe 9b to the radiator.

Referring to Figs. 2, 3, and 5, base bolts 97 screw the cylinder bed iianges 98 to the multiple cylinder base 26, and crown bolts 99 secure the crown flanges 100 to the multiple cylinder head 95. The multiple cylinder head 93 is provided with spark-plug rl cesses 101 for accomodating upper spark plugs 7 7 which are screwed through the plug` bosses 102 in the middle of each of said recesses. The` crank case 1 is provided .with the usual integral pannier flanges 103 on either side thereof for securing the engine to its frame.

My engine is designed for use in high speed racing vachts, automobiles, aeroplanes, airships and similar positions where a very large power is required, as compared with the weight of the motor used, and, in view of the fact that the preferred arrangement of .my invention, such as is illustrated in Fig. 1, gives eight complete explosions and exhausts for each revolution of the crank shaft 8, l consider that the force developed is much greater in proportion to its weight than has been possible in any previous type of internal combustion engine. Moreover, by my elimination of all valve mechanisms .my engine is not only so constructed that its firing chambers are of an approximately theoretically perfect formation, but the material wasted in repairing valve leaka es is vadded to the engine output, thereby giving the engine a higher eiciency per fuel unit that has been attainable by valve-using engines.

The continuous revolutions of my pistons 33 in the same direction for each piston and in opposite directions for contiguous pistons, causes said pistons 33 to act as gyro- Lacasse scopes, quite independently of their support in the cylinders 36 and since, the engine is expected to be rigidly secured to the framework of the vessel or vehicle being propelled by means similar'to the pannier flanges 103 this gyroscopic action operates to keep said vessel or vehicle upright, which is one of the most valuable practical functions of my invention.

The operation of my engine is technically shown in the diagrams, Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9. The engine fires in what is known to engineers as 1, H, IV, HI, order, and the diagrams have been given corresponding Roman numerals for conveniently indicating the firing order, and each cylinder which is at the exact instant of firing has been marked in the center thereof F The intake and exhaust-ports of the cylinders are also indicated by the direction of the radial arrows; the intake and exhaust ports of the pistons are indicated respectively by In and Ex, and the constant direction of revolution of each of the pistons is shown by the curved arrows drawn therein. The cylinders are respectively lettered on the upper row of each figure inthe diagram A, B, C, D and, upon the lower row ai, b, c, d i

Having reference to the designated meaning of said letters, numerals and symbols, the operation of the engine, as shown in the several figures of the firing diagram is as follows:

ln Fig. 6, a is firing, A is closing exhaust and opening intake ports at limit of downward stroke (piston rotating anticlock-wise), b is going into compression with lower piston-intake-port traveling spirally downward below cylinder exhaust port, B is expanding with upper pistonexhaust-port traveling spirally downward above cylinder-intake-port (piston rotating clock-wise), c is expanding with lower piston-exhaust-port traveling spirally upward below cylinder-intake-port, C is going into compression with upper pistonintake-port traveling s irally upward above cylinder-'exhaust-port piston rotating anticlock-wise), ai is closing exhaust and opening intake ports at limit ofupward stroke,

D is igmting a charge (piston rotating clock-wise) Figs. 7 to 9 inclusive are diagrams similar to Fig. 6, showing the progressive positions of the several pistons in their respective cylinders duringxthe successive phases of the engine cycle, each piston in each figure being shown advanced' one-fourth of its doubleacting stroke over the position occupied by the same piston in the preceding figure, and the change in direction of revolution of each piston for each successive phase being indicated by the direction of the arrows.

This completes one revolution of the crank-shaft.

'Lasagna m Having thus described my invention, I claim: A

l. In a double-acting internal combustion engine, valveless cylinders provided with intake-ports and exhaust-ports; doubleacting revoluble pistons provided with ports, adapted to normally keep closed said cylinder ports but to periodically open same' admit said compressed air from said crankcase to the engine manifold for the forcible admixture of said compressed air in said manifold with the nebulized fuel received therein from the engine carbureter to .f form compressed gaseous fuel charges for said cylinders; members adapted to admit to said cylinders7 alternately at either end of said double-acting revoluble pistons, said compressed gaseous fuel charges; and', cylinder heads closing bothends of said-valveless cylinders, and each provided-With ignition members adapted to alternately explode said gaseous fuel charges for imparting reciprocal motion to said double-acting revoluble pistons.

2. In an internal combustion engine,

' valveless cylinders provided with intakepistons, tting said cylinder, provided With ports adapted to normally keep closed said cylinder ports but to periodically open same by the registration therewith of said piston ports; y members for admitting eX- plosiveA gaseous Afuel to said cylinders for imparting by its ignition reciprocal motion to said pistons; members adapted to ignite said gaseous fuel in said cylinders; members adapted to educt exploded gases from said cylinders; continuous spiral cam channels peripherally counter-sunk in theoute'r faces of said revoluble pistons; fixed cam-rollers adapted, by enga ement thereof with said spiral cam channe s, to rotate said revoluble pistons; median diaphragms in said cylindric revoluble pistons, adapted'to separate each cylinder into two firing chambers; piston rods provided with cones, antifrictlonballs, sockets and caps, engaging said median diaphragms so as to form pivotal mounts for said cylindric pistons; members for packing said pistons; members'for packing said piston rods; piston ratchets on said pistons, adapted to prevent rotation of same in the direction reverse to their determinate direction of rotation; and piston-pawls secured to said cylinders for engaging said piston-ratchets.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my name at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana ijiis 11th day of Oct., 1913.

' SALEM LEON SCI-ILEPPY.

vWitnesses:

K. R; CLENDENING, ELMER ENGLEDON. 

